19th Jan 2011, 12:05
Reply to comment of 6th Nov 2010, 12:16.
I got whining in first and second, and difficulty to select reverse. 2 months later I needed a new clutch, and 6 months later I was at the side of the road in another country, and the gearbox and trans axle had come apart. It was going to cost more to fix that and recondition the gearbox than the car was worth, so I brought it to the scrapper and got 650 euro. Best decision I ever made regarding that car.
Problem is that the VW Polo gearboxes for this year are made out of a mixture paper-mâché and cheese. Yours sounds like it is on the way out. Get it looked at by an independent dealer with VW transmission/gearbox experience; perhaps they can nip it in the bud for a decent price.
Unfortunately putting a second hand gearbox doesn't really help, as all Polo gearboxes are rubbish, so demand is very high.
VW deny everything of course. My VW dealer told me, "no, we have never heard of this problem." This really doesn't make me want to buy another VW. They started using cheap parts in those years.
31st Mar 2011, 08:48
My daughter has a 51 plate Polo and her car is in the garage as I type with the pedal box complaint and is expecting a bill of £600 to £700. I have been on to VW and they are not interested as it has not been service at a VW garage since 2004, but has been serviced elsewhere. They say there is not a problem with Polo pedal boxes!
20th Jul 2011, 08:17
The rear washer not spraying? Then pull up the trim and merely push the pipes back together...
Engine management light keeps coming on? Stop driving the car in too low a gear; the computer is trying to warn you of pinking; it's your driving style, not the engineering...
Windows not playing ball; it's the wiring in the gator between the door and body, Don't unscrew the bayonet lug, peel back the rubber. I guarantee if you look close enough, you will find a thicker red cable that's splitting/broke... snip neat and join using a small electrical contact junction...
Throttle bodies... Put 97 ron in, ie super/supreme/ not the cheaper gear in your valver...
28th Sep 2011, 14:58
My daughter's first car is a Polo 1.4e 2001 model. Bought it because VW reliability is legendary (wish I'd come across this site first!). The guy who sold her it (lying b*****d) told her the brakes were dragging as the car had sat for a while, then the gear box jams in fifth gear on the way home from the sale. The bloke agreed to fix it, and now we realise the `dragging brakes` are actually a symphony of noises from the gear box, and now it jumps out of fifth gear if you lift off the throttle.
Feel very let down by VW here, the Polo has obviously had gear box issues, yet they seem to have done very little to address these, so much for `legendary build quality`.
Be very wary of buying one of these!
16th Nov 2011, 18:18
Just wondered how would I go about changing the light bulbs on the heater controls within the car, (VW Polo 2000 1.4) which has seemed to have stopped working?
25th Nov 2011, 13:34
Brought my VW Polo Match Y Reg about 6 months ago second hand. No problems until today; was driving home and the gears suddenly become very stiff. When I got home, turned the engine off and on again, and the gears were fine, but just tried it again and it's very stiff. The clutch feels fine and there is no dodgy noise; it's just very difficult to change gears on the gearbox. I have it booked into the garage for Monday, but wanted to have some idea about what could be wrong with it. Any ideas?
8th Dec 2011, 15:31
I have the same problem with the ABS light on. I have been told it's one of the sensors. These are behind each wheel with a wire going to it. They may need cleaning or changing, but you will have to find out which one it is first.
2nd Feb 2012, 08:13
I wish I'd seen this forum a year ago! Bought a 1 litre Polo Y reg last January, already have an S reg VW van, so thought we were buying VW 'quality' - if only :-(
In 12 months, we spent approx £1200 on it, mainly on trying to sort out an engine misfire (engine management light constantly on & misfiring/cutting out). That went on for about 6 months and cost about £500 in total.
Then at the service, issues with the tracking & suspension cost another £350.
The pedal box went, which we re-welded about 5 months ago, but that's now gone completely today, so needs replacing, & our mechanic says the gearbox is very sticky - judging from all the comments here, that's probably the next thing to go!
Nightmare car, rubbish quality. Never again!
7th Jun 2012, 10:12
I own a VW Polo Match 2001 auto, Can anybody tell me how to check the auto transmission fluid? I am not sure whether it is the same as engine oil or not.
13th Jun 2012, 06:46
I bought a W reg Polo last week. I love VW; they're the best cars, but I have a little problem with the acceleration. I drive along, and sometimes it judders. Doesn't cut out completely. I lose the revs, but that's it. Also, I seemed to have a problem with 3rd gear. Not sure if it's the way I'm driving, but sometimes it pops out of gear; probably haven't got it in properly LOL.
Oh and one last thing; my air bag light is on. How do I turn it off???
14th Jun 2012, 03:14
If it pops out of gear, then you should really check the gearbox oil. This gear problem is usually a sign that your gearbox doesn't have enough oil in it.
The air bag light can be caused by some wiring problems. There are some wires under the passenger seat. Move them a little, and see if the light goes away.
22nd Aug 2012, 17:05
I recently bought a used VW Polo 1.4 8v SE with 51000 miles and full Audi/VW service history, but within days the accelerator pedal has dropped maybe 2" (any ideas?). It also seems to rattle/squeak, however it's not overly noisy and hardly noticeable with windows open. I also have a rattle/shaking when the revs are at about 2000 RPM; any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
14th Apr 2014, 11:30
I have a Volkswagen Polo 1.4. I have the problem with the windows; the passenger side window motor was changed, but recently it will not open from the passenger side interior switch.
I also have the same problem with my gears; mine has packed up completely. It first slipped out of 5th gear with a very loud grinding noise, then it drove OK in 4th until getting to a junction and taking it down in gears at the junction to pull off. Managed to get into first gear, but there was a loud grinding and it was the same in all gears. On reversing the car, it took 10 minutes to get out of reverse gear into 1st gear, then parked up and now it will not go into any gear at all. Has anyone suggested anything to you, or does anyone else have any idea whether a new gearbox is needed?
16th Nov 2010, 21:21
Hi, have a 2005 facelift model with 30000 miles. Recently the central locking won't operate from the driver's door, but is fine from the passenger side. The driver's door will open and lock with the key, but it just doesn't affect the central locking. Also the fuel cap won't open sometimes, it started intermittent, but now is a hard fault. Also occurring at the same time is the electric windows have stopped working, all fuses are OK, and the switches are lit, so I presume there is power getting there.